I am an artist and researcher working in the expanded field of painting under a contemporary folkloristics framework. My core studio practice, long rooted in large-scale painting and drawing, has moved in recent years toward an interdisciplinary approach that also incorporates textiles, sculpture, and found object assemblage. Using pigment, graphite, paper, textiles, beads, found organic matter, and detritus of the built environment, I compose scenes and material textures that engage collective stories—and their significance to current cultural and political phenomena—from a variety of traditions. My work often depicts bodies and symbolic objects in complex thematic relationships related to nature, gender, capital, and power. Through the practice of visually framing and reframing shared narratives, I aim to draw attention to the ongoing practice of culture-building and to the tenacity of cultural hegemonies.
I received my MFA in Studio Art with a painting emphasis from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2022, graduating with honors. In 2020, I was the recipient of the Pirkle Jones VASP Grant. Recent residencies include Vermont Studio Center, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, and San Rafael’s Art Works Downtown. I live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area, and have shown my work in numerous solo and group exhibitions in the region and beyond.